Hand-Carved Olive Wood Candle Holder — Bethlehem

Hand-Carved Olive Wood Candle Holder — Bethlehem

The shape is turned on a lathe, then the leaf and floral detail is cut in by hand — the same pattern Bethlehem carvers have been working into olive wood for generations. Under a lit candle the grain shows: honey and amber running in a swirl no two pieces repeat.

It is carved in Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank, by Blessings Giftshop. The Giacaman family has worked olive wood there since 1925, a few steps from the Church of the Nativity — three generations, one craft, one city that has been walled in and kept carving anyway.

Olive wood takes over a century to mature. The trees are pruned, not felled, and the branches become this. Put it on a dining table, a mantel, a shelf, or wherever you keep a candle lit.

Product Details

• Height: 16.5 cm (6.5 in)
• Base width: 5.7 cm (2.24 in)
• Top width: 4 cm (1.57 in)
• Candle opening: 2 cm (0.79 in) — fits a standard taper candle
• Material: 100% genuine Palestinian olive wood
• Finish: Hand-turned, hand-carved detail, natural polished finish
• Care: Dust with a dry cloth. Occasionally rub with a food-safe mineral oil to keep the grain from drying out. Keep the flame from burning down to the wood.
• Origin: Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine

Why You'll Love It

• Made in Bethlehem, not made about it. Carved in the West Bank by Palestinian hands, not manufactured elsewhere and labelled Palestinian.
• Carved, not moulded. The leaf and floral work is cut by hand, one piece at a time.
• One of a kind. Olive wood varies in colour, grain, and marking. Yours will not match the photo exactly.
• Fits a prayer space, a dinner table, or a gift box. Small enough to send, solid enough to keep.

Made by Blessings Giftshop

The Giacaman family has been carving olive wood in Bethlehem since 1925. Founded by Elias Giacaman, the workshop now runs through his son Jiries and grandson Bassem. It sits in old Bethlehem, near the Church of the Nativity and the Milk Grotto.

This purchase puts money directly into their workshop. Nothing in between.

A Note on Handmade Goods

Every holder is turned from a different piece of olive wood. The grain, tone, and colour will vary from the photographs — that is the material, not a difference in quality. Dimensions are approximate.